Door locking and releasing mechanism



June 1L2, i923. 3,4533% F. S. GALLAGHER DOQR. LOCKING AND RELEASING MEKJI-IANISM- Filed March 25 1921 Patented June 12. 1923..

FREDERICK S. GALLAGHER, 0F YONKERS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 RODGER BALLAST CAR COMPANY, 01 CHICAGO ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

DOOR LOCKING AND RELEASING MECHANISM.

Application filed March 25, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK S. GAL- LAGHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Yonkers, in the county of West- Chester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Locking and Releasing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door locking and releasing mechanism particularly adapted for use in connection with railway ballast cars.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple, efiicient and reliable door locking and releasing mechanism,

Another object is to provide a railway car with door control mechanism adapted to look a door holding member in a door holding or supporting position and to move said member into a nonholding position in a manner to meet all of the requirements for successful commercial operation.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of the arrangement disclosed on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway ballast car embodying my invention; a

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse sec tional view of the same car: and,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the arrangement shown in Figure 1.

The various novel features of my invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the figures of the drawing it will be noted that I have disclosed my invention in connection with a railway car and preferably a ballastcar having sides 10 (only one being shown) and a plurality of floor doors 11 (only'one being shown) which it will be understood, are pivotally mounted in the usual manner adjacent the center sill structure of thecar. Each of the doors 11 has at its outer edge a reinforcing angle member 12, to which is secured a bracket or projecting member 13 which extends laterally from the outer edge of the car and outwardly with respect to the side 10 of the car. To hold each door 11 in closed' position a link 14 is provided which is pivotally mounted at Serial No. 455,483.

its upper end in a supporting member 15 preferably permanently secured to the side of the car 10 by means of rivets 16. The lower narrowed portion of the link, when in a position for holding its associated door 11 in closed position, passes under the projecting bracket 13, as shown in the figures of the drawing. If some means were not provided for retaining or locking the holding link 14 in a position to hold the door 11 closed, said holding means 14 might swing outwardly, thereby releasing its associated door because of jarring actions occasioned under service conditions. To prevent accidental opening of the associated door and for locking the holding member 14 in door supporting position, I have provided locking means in the form of an arm 17 pivotally mounted at 18 and arranged atthe outer side of the hold ing link 14, said handle when in locking position being retained behind an upstanding member 19 of a bracket secured to the side of the car in any approved manner. With the handle in the position shown in the figures of the drawings, it is impossible for the door holding member 14 to moveinto a non-supporting position.

When a car is heavily loaded considerable pressure is imposed upon the link 14, and, accordingly, considerable effort is required for swinging the link 14 laterally out of engagement with its locking projection 13. For the purpose of facilitating the releasing movement of the link 14, I have provided one end of the handle 17 with a cam member 20, which, when the handle is swung in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1, will wedge in behind the holding link 14 and more particularly between the holding link and the side of the car for forcing the link 14 laterally outwardly from a supporting position to a non-supporting position, whereupon the associated door 11 is free to drop into an open position for dumping material which is in the car.

It is seen, therefore, that a combined door locking and releasing control mechanism is provided which is simple, efficient and reliable and adapted to meet the requirements for successful commercial operation It is my intention to cover all modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a railway car, the combination of a door having a projecting member, a link movable into engagement with .said project'- ing member for holding the door in closed P s timendm a si lu ing a ha d f locking saidholding means indoor support ing position and a wedge member for releasing said holding means from supporting position. i

2. In a railway car, the combination of a dump door having a laterally extending projection, a link pivotally mounted at the side of the car and movable undersaid projection for holding the ,door in closed position, a

pivotally' mounted handle arranged outwardly with respect to said link {for locking the latter in holding position, and a wedge member 'ii'ormed ;on said handle for moving the ;link away {from said projection for releasing saiddump door.

3. A railway car having side portion and .a door portionarrangedto drop away' from the side portion to discharge the load, a swinging member mounted upon one of said portions adapted to engage the other portion to hold the door in closed-position, movable means mounted upon the side portion to ,extend substantially longitudinally thereof, said means being adaptedto engage the swinging ,member to hold the same in door holding position, said means being funther provided- .with a member movable intO ongagement with said swinging memher to force said swinging member from 10 h di g p si on.

i. A rail-wa-y car having a side portion and a. door portion arranged to drop away from the side portion to discharge the load,

a swinging member mounted upon onepot and aidoor portionsanranged to drop -away from theside portion to discharge the load, a swinging member mounted upon'one of said -portions adapted to engage the other portion to hofld the door in closed position, movable means mounted uponthe side portion above the planeof the door and extending substantially longitudinally of the side Port on, a d me n e g d pte when moved in one direetion, to hold the swingg b r in do r ho di g p s t a d en mov di ans h r ires i n, t re a the said swinging member :from door holding position. I

6. A railway car having theusual side portions and a door portion arranged to drop away from the side portion. to dis-,

charge theload, asw'inging member mounted upon one of said portions adapted to engage the other portion to hold the door in closed position, a pivoted lever mounted uponthe side portion, one arm thereof extending substantially longitudinally of the side and forming an operating handle for the lever,

said arm engaging the swinging member to hold the latter in door holding position, the

said lever being also provided with a inember adapted, upon rotation, of the lever, to engage the said swinging member and release it from door holding position.

7. A railway car provided with'a hinged dumping'door, ,aswinging link co-aoting with said door and the car to :hold the door in closed position, meansattached to the car engaging said link in one position to lock the link in doorholding position, said means having a member engaging the link upon movement of said means to release said link from door .holding'posltlon.

8. In a railwaycar, a dump-idoor, and a link attached to the car; said door being,

provided with means coacting with-said link to swing the linkout of the path. of :the door during the closing movement of the door, and adapted to be engaged, by the link to hold the door in closed position; and "said link being provided with a keeper torresisting its movement in the direction to re-.

lease the door.

9. In combinatlon wlth a dump car and 1ts cargo'discharging door, a gravity .ac-

tuated door supportin sling mounted upon a face .of the car, with freedom to swing perpendicularly to said'tace intofland out of engagement withrthe door, and'releasable means engaging the sling below its .swinging axis and opposing the swinging of .the sling when in engagement; with the door.

10. In combination with a dump car andits vcargo discharging door, a gravity .aotuated door supporting sling mounted upon a face of the car with freedom to swing per pendicularly to said face into and out of en gagement with the door, and releasable means opposing the swingin when in engagement with the door, 0.0mprising a keeper mounted with movement in a path intersecting the swinging path of the sling.

Si ned at Chicago, Illinois, this 18th day of 1V aroh, 1921.

' FREDERICK is. GALLAGHER.

of the sling. 

